A Traveler's Meeting
Vasilisa traversed the desert sands of the Desierto landscape. The heat was a welcome reprieve from the cold unforgiving winds of the Iceberg nation. While she had originally thought herself prepared for the treacherous conditions, she quickly found that she hadn't packed enough. So as any veteran traveler would, Vas improvised, using her lightning in low doses to create fire, her iron magic to create shelters from northern wind's wrath, and generally laid low. Having put that behind her now, Lissa found herself free to embrace the warmth of the noon sun, one that baked the rather barren landscape. She had removed her heavier military grade clothing for lighter clothing, adopting men's sports shorts and a tank top with sunglasses to keep the glare out of her eyes. She frowned at the map, noting that she had been meandering aimlessly in this place for a little too long; this kind of warm weather could prove lethal after all. In spite of her cautionary thoughts however, Vas continued across the sands unabated, her footprints remaining before a hot wind blew them away. A little ways down the warm desert path stood a large purple tent. The tent was covered in various fabrics of all colors that shone like a rainbow in the beating sun. The two flaps of the tent led into a a large room that contained various shelves filled with multicolored vials and knickknacks. The carpeted floor was strewn with hand stitched toys and sewing needles. In the middle of the room stood a table draped in purple cloth with a deck of cards lying on it, behind it sat a man in a chair. The man was draped in a black hooded robe and was currently flipping cards around in his hand. He looked up from his spot, revealing a slightly stitched mouth and spoke aloud but to himself. "I guess we have a visitor huh Edgar." Peering into the distance, Vasilisa spotted the purple tent, a rather conspicuous looking thing in the middle of a barren desert. With curiosity and boredom having the better of her, Lissa walked towards it quickly, before reaching the entrance. Unsure of whether or not she should enter, the woman ultimately decided to knock on the tent flap, sending vibrations through the entire structure that caused it to wobble dangerously. "Shit, I forgot about my own strength." she cursed before righting the tent. "Um, is anyone in there?" Lissa asked while deciding look about. There was nothing to see in any direction, nothingness being the order of the day. "Why set up shop here?" she thought, believing there would be a significant lack of consumers in such an abandoned location. Heck, she hadn't seen a person in several days, and it was starting to annoy her. Not that she could blame them for avoiding such a desolate place. "Oh come in come in." A voice called from the tent as a mysterious wind blew the curtains open. It rushed at Vasilisa's back, almost ushering her into the place. "Welcome to my tent of wonders girl." A voice spoke softly from under the hood of a figure, crouched over a table. Welcome to Edgar Nostradamus' tent of fortune. You are welcome to browse our wares or simply take your fortune. All you must do is place a drop of your blood on this card." He spoke as he flipped a card onto the opposite side of the table and beckoned to the empty seat. He then saw the worried look on her face and attempted to ease her. "Oh don't worry. I use card magic so this drop of blood technically links me to you, allowing for the reading to be accurate." Though hesitant, Vasilisa's curiosity proved to be stronger, resulting in her entering the establishment's parameters. If it could be called that anyways. She looked around. The tent proved deceptively small once the woman began gazing at the various wares on offer, noting that it held an incredible amount of goods while maintaining a comfortable amount of operating space. The result was most likely magical in origin. "Fortune?" she thought aloud. "Um, I don't like the sound of being linked." Once again though, her desire to know proved unrelenting, so Lissa picked up a card. Turning it over, she examined its design. She looked at the empty seat that the hooded figure offered. "I'll stand for now." Sharpening her nail, Vas created a small cut on a finger, before letting the blood ooze onto the card. "Is that enough?" she asked. Part of her wondered how effective this reading would actually be. "Alrighty then." Edgar happily spoke as he shuffled the card back into the deck. He then began placing cards on the table in random spots before finally looking back up at the girl. "So lets see what we've got here. Your name is Vasilisa D. Draco. Oh the Draco family, I hear Gecko is beautiful this time of year. Anyways lets see." The man spoke rapidly as he flipped and shuffled a few cards."So you're a user of Rules of the Area, Iron-Make, Iron Magic, and Lightning Magic. Fancy repertoire you have there Vas. Now lets get to the good stuff shall we. You know basically nothing of your past and you wander as a nomad. Explains how you found my tent huh. Lets see here you got two dead parents and you never knew their cause of death. Hmm what a shame. However I can tell you that quite easily." He spoke, a smile spread across his partially stitched mouth. He placed the cards all down and flipped one over. "Death 13 lets see. It says here that your parents were off on a mission for the Draco family, carrying some pretty high value info they were cornered by some dark mages. Those two fought bravely but were eventually backed into a corner. With little to no options they used a union raid with all their power and blew the mages away, along with their eternano. However your mother was still alive after that and with more dark mages on the way she used a poison capsule to end it. Truly a sad tale huh." The man sighed as he flipped the card back over. Vasilisa bit back a sharp retort as he listed her life story in rather exhaustive detail. While she would have called him out initially on her name and familial relations, as he continued to rattle of more information pertaining to her, the response died on her lips. "So this is the power of Card Magic..." Lissa said simply. The statement about her parents' deaths was nothing less than a shot to the body, dragging her from the depths of ignorance and into the realm of knowledge. "Did they recover their bodies?" Lissa said, her voice small. By virtue of living in an immense family, there were no shortage of members capable of taking care of the little girl while she grew up. Though as a protector, they never mentioned her parents beyond stating they had disappeared, likely MIA if not deceased. To know how they died though, was something that definitely hit her hard. Before she could stop herself, the tears welled in her eyes before silently falling on the tent's floor. "Shit. I hate being a crybaby." Lissa said, wiping them away. "Thanks for the info I guess." she continued, saddened by the turn of events. Though she began wondering why her family had never told her the reasoning for her parent's demise. Was the information that valuable her parents lives could be forfeit? Now, that despair turned to anger, one that cause the very air to crackle and spark. How they could keep this from Vasilisa, and not even mention if they recovered the bodies, which very well could be lost to nature now. "It looks there will be explanations in order." Lissa stated icily, her temper flaring. "The bodies were taken by the enemy and burned in symbol or their victory, even though they lost the information they killed two Dracos." As she fell to the floor the man jumped out of his chair and helped her up. "Please don't cry, you'll ruin the carpeting." When his joke was met with no applause he sighed and turned back towards his table. As he pondered what he could do to help the poor girl he realized he still had one thing he could do. "Vasilisa I'm going to let you talk to them." Was all the man said before he walked into the center of the room. "Using my magic I can bring their spirits back so you can talk to them, it's called a seance." With a wave of his arms the tent began to shake, a rough wind came blowing in and knocked a few knick-knacks off the shelf as two white figures appeared. They soon melded into reality as Vasilisa's parents. "Oh." was all she said in response. Though they had begun to dry, her eyes welled up once more. Now that there was no chance of recovery, all that remained was a confrontation with her family. She had the right to know what they were guarding as their only child and likely successor. "A seance?" Lissa began slowly, her normally sharp mind muddled by the conflict of emotions swirling within her heart. That is, until the tent itself threatened to collapse with the onset of a rough wind. One that only proved more muddling until a couple of figures began to develop, molding themselves into the image of Vasilisa's parents. "What the fuck is this?? Please tell me this is some shitty joke." Vas said, only to note the serious look on Edgar's face. There was not a punchline; it was very much real. "Great, now you get to see your daughter crying like a little bitch." she continued, wiping away any remaining tears. The woman suddenly felt like a child with her parents' presence. "Mom? Dad?" she said hesitantly, standing up and cautiously approaching them. A large amount of nervous energy was present in the air around her. Her mother laughed gently. It appeared that her daughter had inherited her father's teamster tendencies to go along with her mother's appearance. "Indeed we are honey," she said, closing the gap to embrace her daughter, who's sniffles served as a sign that she was fighting back tears. For all her independence, it only took a warm embrace from her mother to bring back the need of a child. Her father smirked, like Vasilisa's mother he too noticed the girl's rapid swearing, sounding like a chip off the old block. He soon held both his wife and daughter in a strong yet loving hug. One that melted the Iron Maiden's heart. "Why didn't they ever tell me what happened to you? Please don't give me the "well you were a child" explanation and it was to protect you." Vas stated. "Well, it was to protect you whether you like it or not. Despite how large our family is, we didn't want to risk them tracking you down because you possessed the same knowledge we did. Especially since you resorted to nomadism, leaving you without the protection our Draco kin could provide and vulnerable to attacks. I know your thinking that you could take them, and maybe you can now, but we wouldn't resort to chance." the man said. Vasilisa allowed herself to be held in their embrace for a bit longer before breaking away. "Can I least know what information you were guarding? Since even you admit that I am capable of defending myself if need be. And you must know I'm the persistent sort; don't tell me now and I'm liable to find it myself and who knows what else I might dig up." Lissa said with confidence in her voice, enough to give her parents pause as they looked at each other. They nodded. "Fair enough. It has to do with a magic that you apparently inherited. Rules of the Area in particular." they said together, before beckoning her closer. They whispered to her several pieces of rather sensitive information before hugging their precious daughter once more. With that complete they nodded at Edgar before dissipating, giving him a silent thank you for allowing them this time with their one and only child. Edgar watched as the family reunited once again. It was a truly beautiful sight, something Edgar cherished. Though he was a demon he did not enjoy chaos, that was why he left. He came to this world to learn the ways of the humans and live within their realm. He had been tending to his business for years now. Sensing those who were lost and consoling them, letting them meet with those that they lost. It was a gift he had and he wanted to share it with those who needed it most. It was then that an idea sprung into his head. One that would finally give this girl some closure on her family. "Say how's about we pay those mages a visit hmm?" Edgar laughed as he grabbed a trinket off the shelf. He then held up a card that sucked his entire tent into it, leaving the two standing in the shifting sands. He then held the object up a a pulse of demonic energy shot form it as a portal formed. "This way please." The man spoke as he entered. Upon entering the portal Vasilisa would see large building carved into a cliff face. It was here that the dark guild resided. It was here that the murderers of her parents lived. "I'm right behind you." Was all Edgar spoke. Vasilisa turned to Edgar. "Thank you. I needed that." she said. Only to find the tent had disappeared from around them, neatly stored within a card; it was a level of practicality that the nomad could appreciate. "How would we do that? It would take time to find their whereabouts-" It was upon that point a portal appeared, before Edgar casually stepped through, beckoning for Lissa to follow. And she did, entering a darkened land that a sizable building presided over from its vantage point on a cliff face. The design was strategically placed as to give the dark guild an excellent view of their holdings and any would be intruders. Yet despite never visiting this area, she knew perfectly well that the ones she sought called this place home. "Let's finish these little shits." she said, walking along the ground before developing wings to fly across the sky and open the doorway. She blew it apart with a blast of lightning, standing in the main hall as dark mages looked dumbfounded at her appearance. Only for some to recognize the similarities between Vas and her parents. The ground rumbled as her Iron Magic stirred to life, taking hold of the vast quantities of iron in the immediate area to begin destabilizing the guild. "You're dead." she said before blowing through the mages with ease, ripping them apart with frightening ease. Utilizing her Iron-Make in dynamic fashion, she summoned her Iron Wolf and Snake to do battle with the dark mages, giving them simple orders to kill and consume them while she looked for the true culprits. Screams began to fill the entire complex as the creations made themselves known, allowing Vasilisa a grim smile before continuing on her way. Edgar followed the girl in without a word, watching as she dismembered others in a glorious rage. It almost made him long for the old days, but he stayed strong. Edgar stepped calmly into the room and looked above him. Three humans on the upper level, he could sense a mix of anger and fear. With a flick of his wrist multiple invisible wires ripped apart the ceiling and left the three dark mages to fall into a pile at the center of the room. As two mages ran at him from the sides, spells prepped in their hands. A mass of cards fluttered out from under his cloak and swarmed the two, only receding upon knocking the two out due to blood loss. "So you three are the ones who killed the Dracos huh." Edgar spoke as strong wires bound the three to the floor. "Vas whatever happens to these men is up to you." Edgar spoke casually as he walked away from the three and locked the room. Outside he came face to face with countless reinforcements, probably from a buried part of the guild. "Well I guess it doesn't hurt to stretch once in a while." He spoke giddily as he dashed forwards, bloody wires flying in every direction as lifeless limbs coated the walls. Vasilisa caught up with Edgar to find that he had trapped the individuals she was looking for. Fortunately, he had the decency to leave them intact and bound. "What do we have here? It looks like some bastards have been rounded up just for me." Lissa stated, sapphire flames dancing in her eyes as she approached the bound trio. It was at that point her created Iron Wolf returned to her side, blood dripping from its fangs as the mammoth being sat next to its maker. "You have room for a couple more boy?" she asked, to which the wolf nodded. "I look familiar don't I? I'm sure bitches like you have a sharp memory." To which the bound trio nodded. It was clear she took strongly after the mother, while inheriting her father's potty mouth. With glee, she grasped their limbs, slowly crushing their legs and arms before sawing them off with an iron dirk. The pain welled in their eyes as they held back their cries of agony. Their cowardliness served to only revolt the girl more. So she stopped, motioning for the wolf to finish them off. Turning away Vasilisa heard the screams start before three gulps told her they had become meals for her pet. "It's done." she said to the joyous Edgar, who continued to pulverize any would be dark mages that crossed paths with him. "Ready?" Not waiting for answer she walked down the long hallway to the exit of the guild, while the building tottered and groaned around her. Using her Iron-Make once more, she created a dragon after dispelling the wolf and snake. Hopping upon its back, she flew a short distance away, before watching Edgar exit the facility. "Opening of the Earth's Heart." she stated as her eyed glowed silver. The entire area shuddered as an earthquake developed, tearing asunder the building and its subsequent cliff base before burying all survivors alive. Edgar watched as Vasilisa left the bodies and exited the building after her. As soon as he felt the explosive magic power under his feet a path of cards shot out into the air, carrying him into the sky. With a glance back Edgar saw the entire cliffside crashing down upon itself, squishing the remaining dark mages to a bloody paste. A smile crept to the man's face as his brown eyes glowed red with glee. His dashing wave of cards deposited him safely on the dragon before retuning to their places. Edgar looked up at Vasilisa with his still red eyes burning like newly birthed embers. "Well that was fun wasn't it Vas. You know it's not every day one of my patrons brings out my rather dark side. I mean most get scared and run eventually but I'm sure you're different." He spoke casually as he turned his back to her and looked over the crushed mountain as it became further and further away from them. "It might shock you but it might also make a lot of sense. My name is Edgar Nostradamus and I'm a full fledged demon." As those words rolled off his tongue the true magnitude of his heritage showed. Even if it was just for a second a malicious shockwave of power had washed over the entire area. His very presence radiated the very depths of hell itself. But just as it had appeared the massive wave of power vanished and Edgar turned back to her. A simple smile plastered on his face. With his hood undone and the immensity of his daemon origins unleashed, they proceeded to wash over Vasilisa and her construct in noteworthy fashion. Though most would pale at the realization they had collaborated with a demon, Vasilisa took it all in stride. Even if some of the malicious energy shocked her with its potency while shaking the outside world to its core. One of her uncles had the misfortune of donning a demon like appearance, so the sight did little to upset emotionally. "How interesting." was her only comment. She was satisfied that she had achieved what retribution she could, now it would be time to honor her parents memory. It was the first time Lissa had met a full-fledged one, and had a feeling that there would be more to meet on her travels. "I suppose this burning embers for eyes are a perk of your lineage?" she said, her own remaining the color of quicksilver due to the extensive usage of her Iron Magic. Her dragon grunted at the Edgar's proclamation, no doubt as unfazed as his creator. Since the reveal was done, they continued to fly through the sky in comfortable silence before Vas thought of a question. "What made you decide to visit the mortal realms?" she asked, slipping into her knowledge hungry demeanor. Edgar just stared at the girl as she shrugged off his reveal, even her dragon didn't seem to be impressed. "Well this was quite anticlimactic wouldn't you say." He spoke as he sat upon a chair formed of his cards before responding to Vasilisa's questions. "Yes these red eyes are the "demonic form" of my eyes if that makes sense. See I'm actually just manipulating my body to appear human at the moment. My real form is actually far different from what you see here. As for why I came here it was simply because I was bored with the realm of demons. After about a hundred years down there you just die of boredom so I decided to explore Earthland. I learned magic and took up the role of a traveling fortune teller and toymaker. I exist now to help people like you find peace in whatever turmoil they face." Edgar finished as he leaned back to stare at the sky. A couple hundred years ago his vision would be red and his pupils would tint the sky red with blood. Things were different now though. He felt like he was actually making a difference, he felt like he belonged. "I suppose it was. Sorry if I didn't have the right reaction. I'm just used to the unexpected I guess." Vasilisa responded. She nodded at his explanation, knowing that despite her comfort level, there would be others who might not react so well to his likely terrifying appearance. When he wasn't disguising himself that is. "Too much carnage, madness and bloodlust?" she commented, raising an eyebrow at his reasoning. It was rare to hear a demon tired of such chaos and even more uncommon to have one proclaim that he now aspired to help people. Recover from their despair no less, something that most demons fed off of like it was their lifeline. Her eyes lost their quicksilver coloration, returning to a potent sky blue as she gazed across the world in thought. "I suppose your off to do some more good deeds now?" she said, expecting him to head on his own way, leaving Lissa to her current path. "Yeah I mostly got tired of it all, after you kill for over a hundred years it grows boring. Now when I save it for special occasions it's much more delicious." He then walked over to Vasilisa and placed his hand on her cheek before pulling it away to reveal a card in his hand. "You really need to clean behind your ears." The man spoke as he laughed at his own childish joke. Upon recovering he stood tall and extended the card towards her. One side was identical to a playing card, a white background and a black joker. However the other side was completely black with a large red N on it. "This is my card Vas. If you ever really need me for something place your blood on it and speak my name." The man spoke as he handed her the card. "It was quite fun helping you and I wish you the best of luck in your travels." He spoke as he gave her a final handshake and stepped into another portal he created, whisking him off to the unknown. Vasilisa went to touch her ear where the card had been pulled from. She shook her head at Edgar's joke; it appeared to Lissa that demon's were more than just a murderous rabble. They had their fair share of jokers and jesters as well. She took the card when the demon handed it to her, examining both sides with faint curiosity. "A summoning card? How interesting." Vas said while putting the card away for safekeeping. "I'll keep that in mind," she continued, her mind already focusing on her next destination. Though she didn't know it yet. "Thank you, it was nice to meet you as well. I appreciated your help with disposing of that hateful bunch. I wish you well on your own travels." Shaking his hand, she watched him step into a portal that took him to an unknown destination. "Let's head home," she said, resting her head on the dragon's neck as the two flew into the sunset, her family waiting just beyond the horizon.